April 12, 2006 marks the 30th anniversary of the Central Square Branch Library. This branch, the largest in the system, has 6 full time and 6 part time staff members who serve the city's most diverse neighborhood. The branch is open 56 hours each week and offers an array of vital services. The library's staff is dedicated to community outreach, personalized customer services, and a dynamic collection of books, magazines, books on tape, and CD's. Special collections such as the Spanish language collection, the Haitian collection, Black Studies Collection, and the Bengali Collection are tailored to meet the needs of neighborhood residents. The Rotary Technology Learning Center provides free public access to the Internet and computer technology to all Minuteman library users. The Lewis Room and Rotary Conference Room serve as centers for cultural events, library sponsored programs, community meetings, and educational seminars. The rooms are available to any Cambridge based non-profit community group. The Central Square Branch Library also offers a fiction discussion group as one of its programs.

The Cambridge Public Library Literacy Project is based at the Central Square Branch. This highly successful program, which matches interested students with volunteer tutors, was founded over 10 years ago to meet the burgeoning demand for literacy training. The literacy coordinator recruits and trains over 20 volunteer tutors each year, develops individual learning plans for each student, and selects appropriate materials for the library's adult learning collection.

Another highlight of the Central Square Branch is the children's room which hosts thousands of neighborhood youngsters each year. This light and airy space in the treetops welcomes children of all ages with an exciting variety of new books and programs. Story times, sing-alongs, films, and craft programs are just a sampling of the many outstanding children's programs offered at the Central Square Branch (view this month's events).